Overview

• David Leonard Wood, convicted of the 1987 'Desert Killer' murders of six women and girls, has consistently maintained his innocence for over three decades.
• The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued a rare stay of execution, with no explanation, halting the lethal injection set for Thursday.
• Wood's conviction heavily relied on circumstantial evidence and testimony from jailhouse informants, some of whom received benefits for their cooperation.
• Defense attorneys argue that critical DNA evidence remains untested, with prior testing excluding Wood as a match for one key blood sample.
• New testimony from a former inmate alleges police pressured informants to fabricate confessions, casting further doubt on the integrity of the original investigation.